싸이 ~ 드림 (피쳐링 XIA)

Psy, “Dream”

I’ve seen at least one translation of this song floating around, but it’s not an easy song to translate so I thought I’d share my own version to help give a fuller picture. Because “Dream” is a song that deserves a deeper look.

I think the deeper look should start with Psy’s dedication of this song to Shin Hae Chul, the old-school pop-rock musician who passed away in 2014 due to medical malpractice. Shin Hae Chul had a long and diverse musical career, and the circumstances of his passing were unfortunate, to say the least.

Psy’s song “Dream” is an emotional tribute with lyrics that have you contemplating your own mortality. Xia lent his rich vocals to the chorus of the original audio, but the video I embedded, from Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook, is a little different. As I watched the video for the first time, I wondered if Xia would be singing his part, but he didn’t (further JYJ x KBS conflict?) and instead Psy proved the breadth of his musicianship by belting the chorus himself. He’s not just a fat Korean ajusshi who makes funny music videos.

You were there for me, by my side
I forgot how important that sort of thing was
I eventually lost sight of its significance
Ultimately I’m just a cunning guy
who doesn’t know how to be thankful
I was looking for happiness, (so)
why did I only look at a far-away mountain?

I didn’t like to believe what I saw, so
I started to see what I wanted to believe,
even though a shortcut becomes lonely,
even though doing so adds fuel to the fire.
Whether you fail or achieve your dream,
the next day, life goes on.
Don’t worry, this is all a dream.

It’s time to wake up from this dream
I wish everything could be left as it was
I wish things could remain the same as always
I wish things could stay forever that way.

When we meet again someday,
for the sake of being happy like old times
as you sing a song, as you listen to the song,
it’s time to wake up from the dream called life.

Something difficult to believe
A truth that’s hard to accept
We come and go and live on alone
Alone, we leave on a lonely road.
Loneliness becomes a callous,
It becomes my blood and life
I’m becoming composed, slowly changing
I’m becoming calm, becoming an adult.

People who are leaving will leave
and those who are living keep living.
God gave me the cruellest of emotions:
My tears dry up at these ordinary facts. [1]
I hate to see the sun set (but)
The moment the moon rises is beautiful.
If I’m happy, I hope it’s not a dream
(but) when I’m sad, I hope that it is

It’s time to wake up from this dream
I wish everything could be left as it was
I wish things could remain the same as always
I wish things could stay forever that way.

When we meet again someday,
for the sake of being happy like old times
as you sing a song, as you listen to the song,
it’s time to wake up from the dream called life.

The joy of meeting and the sadness of parting
are just short, passing moments in the grand scale of time.

The joy of meeting and the sadness of parting
are just short, passing moments in the grand scale of time.

[1]

I think what Psy is saying here is that people’s lives and people’s passing are facts of life that can be emotionally moving, but he feels unaffected by them. He’s calm and composed, like he said in the preceding lines. So the cruellest emotion he received was actually no emotion at all. [back]